David A. Major, pioneering physician and professor at Hahnemann, has died at 84
He helped create the position of physician assistant in the 1970s and said: “Most important to me are the long-term relationships with my patients.”
David A. Major, 84, of Philadelphia, pioneering physician, former professor at Hahnemann University Hospital, mentor, and veteran, died Saturday, Sept. 9, of pancreatic cancer at his home in Center City.
The son of a doctor and grandson of a pharmacist, Dr. Major grew up in Atlantic City and practiced medicine in Philadelphia for more than five decades. He was a professor and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Hahnemann, and he oversaw Pennsylvania’s first federally funded physician assistant training program.
He cofounded the Ninth Street Internal Medicine practice in 1990, mentored hundreds of young doctors, and saw patients until his retirement in January 2022. “When I started to practice medicine 54 years ago, I believed that seeing and helping people with common and rare diseases would be the driving force in my career,” Dr. Major said in announcing his retirement. “I was wrong. Seeing and knowing people is what stimulated my longevity in medical practice.”
Dr. Major was devoted, he said in an online profile, to remaining on what he called “the cutting edge of the art and science of medicine.” He embraced the “medical home” model of health care in which physicians attend to a patient’s preventive care and access to social services as well as their immediate physical and mental health concerns.
He was featured in The Inquirer in a 1972 article about Hahnemann’s new physician assistant program and said: “The physician assistant will have the one quality that most physicians lack. He will have the time to talk to the patient. [They] will bring back some of the human element that’s been seriously missing in medical care.”
In an online tribute, a former patient said: “He was the kindest, caring person that we ever knew. He had a heart of gold and cared so much.” Another former patient said: “It was reassuring to have been under his care.”
Dr. Major also chaired several committees for the National Board of Medical Examiners. He lectured about medical confidentiality and other issues at Hahnemann, and won a Lindback Award for teaching excellence. “He was a terrific teacher and a gentleman,” a former student said.
His wife, Evelyn Eskin said: “He was devoted to patient care.”
Born July 21, 1939, David Alan Major graduated from Atlantic City High School and spent countless days as a young man swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and walking the planks on the Boardwalk. He dealt with injuries for the beach patrol while he was in medical school and returned on many of his birthdays to celebrate and body surf with his family.
“Though widely traveled,” his family said in a tribute, “he was happiest at the Shore.”
He attended Cornell University, spent two years in the Army at Fort Polk, now Fort Johnson, in Louisiana, and graduated from Hahnemann Medical College in 1964.
He met his wife at a party when they were both students at Cornell, and she liked the way he smiled and how his eyes sparkled. They married in 1962, had daughters Jill, Jane, and Lynn, and lived in West Mount Airy and later Center City.
They also had five granddaughters, and he lovingly referred to all the women and girls as his “family of females.”
Athletic throughout his life, Dr. Major liked to swim, roller-blade, ice skate, and bike. He enjoyed tennis and squash, took up skiing in his 50s, and played basketball into his 60s.
No matter what he did, he was an imposing figure. “He was my gentle giant,” his wife said.
He read about history and tended to the grass, bushes, and flowers in his yard. He especially liked to share his three-point philosophy about knowledge. He knew many things, he said. He could figure out many things. And there were many things he didn’t know.
“For such a learned person to have the humility to admit readily not knowing certain things, this is just one of the myriad ways in which he led by example,” said his daughter Lynn. His daughter Jill praised his “humility, patience, non-judgmental acceptance, intellect, loyalty, and gentle manner.”
“He taught me so much about life and family,” said his daughter Jane. “He was always there for me.” His wife said: “He was calm, patient, and thoughtful. He was not judgmental, and that’s why people respected him.”
In addition to his wife, daughters, and granddaughters, Dr. Major is survived by a sister and other relatives.
Services were held Tuesday, Sept. 12.
Donations in his name may be made to Doctors Without Borders USA, Box 5030, Hagerstown, Md. 21741; and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), Box 97077, Washington, D.C. 20090.